In Nebraska, the Platte River Valley and Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary are home to a migratory "pit-stop" for sandhill cranes. In this lesson, students will use resources on the National Geographic magazine feature Crane Cam to learn about how the land area in and around the sanctuary has changed over time. Students will examine the intended and unintended consequences of human environmental intervention by studying crane activity in the Platte River Valley, and by researching the effects of human intervention on bird populations—and the effects of bird populations on humans.

Geography, social studies, science

Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth’s surface"
Standard 14: "How human actions modify the physical environment"
Standard 16: "The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources"

Two to three hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Writing materials

Students will

• learn about the Crane Cam and Rowe Sanctuary projects in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska;
• research crane migratory patterns, conservation efforts involving the sandhill crane, and the intended and unintended consequences of these efforts; and
• discuss the relationship between conservation and economics.

Early each year in Nebraska, thousands upon thousands of cranes come to the Platte River basin to rest, roost, and rejuvenate as they make their way from the southwestern United States to northern regions such as Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. Tourists also flock to the area, some coming back year after year because they find the experience so compelling.

Introduce students to the Crane Cam feature from National Geographic magazine. To pique students' interest in the sanctuary and its importance to cranes, as well as to millions of other animals, project one or more of the multimedia shows available on the About Cranes and Kids & Cranes sections of the site. [If the time of year is right, students can watch live activity via the Crane Cam itself.]

Have students work in small groups to develop presentations on one of the topics listed below. Presentations will be based on group exploration of the Crane Cam site and the videos on Kids & Cranes, and should include highlights from their research.

Activity 1:

• Cranes: Information about the birds, their migratory patterns, and their status in the world.
• Rowe Sanctuary: The development and role of the sanctuary, including concerns about the future.
• Human Impact: How have humans influenced the natural existence of sandhill cranes over time? How have these cranes had an impact on humans?

Students should use the sites' audiovisual and text resources, including related links in the sidebars. Listed below are questions that will help guide the students' research regardless of their chosen topic:

• Why was the sanctuary created? How has the land area changed over time, and why?
• How does the sanctuary help with crane migration?
• How does it help other species?
• Where do the cranes come from? What do they do while they are in Nebraska?

Allow students time to conduct their research and develop their presentations. Presentations should include a visual, auditory, or multimedia component. Remind students that they should focus their presentation on the specific topic they were assigned, rather than on the whole general subject. Have students present their findings to the class.

Activity 2:
After students have presented their group research, have them work independently or with a partner to find out more about cranes' effect on Nebraska's economy. Instruct students to look for resources on the various sites that discuss the interaction between nature and economics. Student research should focus on these questions:

• What economic changes have affected the cranes' habitats?
• How have the cranes had an impact on the region's economy?
• Has this economic impact had any further reciprocal effect on the cranes?

Have students construct arguments for or against expanding the sanctuary to approach the original size of the habitat once used by the cranes. What factors would they have to consider in evaluating such a proposal?

Have students read the National Geographic News article "After 400 Years, Cranes Return to U.K.—Site is Kept Secret." Ask them to compare Eurasian and sandhill cranes, noting differences in their history, present status, and habitat conditions. Neither species is considered threatened, so why might the owner of the land in England keep their location private?

Ask students whether they think the Nebraska site should be kept more private, and why. Student responses should reflect an understanding of tourism's environmental and economic impacts.

Have students write a short article, poem, or some other original work demonstrating their understanding of the interaction between the sandhill cranes and the human populations of the Platte River area.

• For centuries, cranes have appeared in human artwork, literature, songs, and dance. Have students select one continent (North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa) or country (Russia, Japan, Egypt) on which to focus a research project into the ways human cultures have depicted cranes.
  
  
• Use the information pages of the International Crane Foundation (ICF) to research one of the cranes listed in National Geographic magazine’s World of Cranes map (PDF, Adobe Acrobat Reader required) as critically endangered or endangered. What are the reasons for the crane's endangerment? What is being done to protect or reintroduce the birds?
  
  
• The ICF has several downloadable activity packets available for classroom use.
  
  
• Have students visit the Xpeditions Activity Department of Crane-Land Security to complete interactive activities about protecting cranes and their habitats, including an examination of wildlife sanctuaries in their home states.

Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary
International Crane Foundation
National Geographic Magazine: Crane Cam
National Geographic Magazine: Crane Cam—Kids & Cranes